Robert L. D. Cooper

Introduction

As some of you will know I sustained a leg injury in June 2017 when I was in Boston, Mass, on Masonic business. After four operations and four spells in hospital (one for more than five weeks due to an infection) I eventually returned to work. During the past year I drew up a list of things to do. Updating his web site made it onto that list before I stopped adding to the list because it was becoming far too lengthy.

I added the above paragraph to see if I could remember how to make changes. The down side to that is that should now start to bring the web site up to date. More work!

Below is what was previously on the site and I leave it here for now. I hope to get round to amending this also in the fairly near future.

What is the purpose of this web site? I keep asking myself the same question! What happened was that the publishers of my books regularly asked me ‘what’s your URL’, or ‘where can we find your web site?’ more ominously, ‘when are you going to set up your web site?’ Apparently most authors have their own web site and the publisher links to the authors. I assume it is supposed to work in the opposite direction as well? All well and good I thought to myself, I set up a web site, at my own expense and have to keep doing things with it, adding things and removing old stuff and generally telling the world about oneself. Hmm. I still did not get it – I spend money, have to do regular maintenance (this is essential I am told) when I could be doing other stuff. Then I thought I’d got the answer – everyone has a web site, not just authors. No, hardly anyone I knew had their own web site. Then I got some inside information. Publishers get loads of enquiries from people who have read the author’s books and can’t keep up with the sheer volume of enquiries. Some people just want to know what the author looks like or a bit more background information and so if the author has a web site the publisher does not have to get too involved – just refer the person to the author’s web site. Anyway, as you can see I gave in and so this is ‘my’ web site but please don’t expect too much. I’ll add things when I can and what I think people might be interested in, although I am pretty sure that most will not.

Freemasons’ Hall, where I am fortunate to be the Curator, is in the centre of the city the Capital of Scotland in George Street, that is one street up from the main street – Princes’ Street which is the main shopping street of the capital. It must be one of the most unusual ‘shopping’ streets in the world having only side with buildings – the other side has an garden area which lies below a huge castle. For that reason it is often considered to be one of the most attractive streets in the world.

George Street was until about 10 – 15 years ago the financial centre of the city, and of Scotland, but a new financial district has been built approximately half a mile away and George Street is now the place for designer shops, for example Cruise and Gap are on one side of Freemasons’ Hall with the very up market jewellers Hamilton and Inches across the road. Inches was a Freemason and official ‘jeweller’ to the Grand Lodge of Scotland. Many of the banks, building societies and insurance companies which had either their head office or main branches in the street most have now been converted into upmarket restaurants, bistros and some rather spectacular bars – try visiting The Dome or The Standing Order. One of the most enduring establishments in George Street is Gray’s of George Street a supplier of household and garden utensils since 1818 which has been at it’s present location since the early 1900’s. However, the face of the street is changing and Gray’s is no longer. The business was no long of interest to the present generation (so I am informed) and the business was closed. 89 George Street is now the White Stuff.

Now you know a little about me and where I work. This web site is therefore mainly to let readers of my books know a wee bit more about me. To learn more, if you are really interested, click here or on the previous link..